“Bismillaahir-rahmaanir raheem”
(In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful)
Watermelon Wednesday is a weekly brief shared with our elected officials to ensure they are aware of Israel’s aggression, the Palestinian experience, and our country’s complicity in this genocide and international war crimes.
TL;DR:
- Israel has violated the ceasefire 813 times, killing 401 Gazans, while demolishing buildings and restricting aid and supplies needed for the harsh weather.
- Israel has demolished at least 25 residential buildings in the West Bank, approved 9,000 new illegal houses, and killed a 16-year-old Palestinian.
- UN, Qatar, Turkey, and Doctors Without Borders warn against Israel’s restriction of aid and other violations. The ICC condemns America’s sanctions against it.
- Senate attempts to provide full funding for Israel’s defense tools; Trump imposes more sanctions on the ICC; plan for Gaza has minimal Gazan representation.
Takeaways:
- Gaza is under medical threat, and Israel is cruelly letting it be so.
- Israel is expanding occupation in the West Bank, driving Palestinians out.
- Several international entities are showing how to support Palestinian people.
- Trump is supporting Israel’s crimes and violating the ICC independence.
As your constituents we urge you to:
- Call for a complete end to the ceasefire violations, and a stronger flow of aid.
- Oppose America’s funding of Israel’s military.
- Divest from Israeli companies operating on violently occupied land, and use those funds at home.
813 Violations, 401 Killed
- Violations include continued demolition, denial of aid, and killing of officials
- 12/20 – Since the ceasefire, Israel has killed 401 Palestinians, violating the truce 813 times. [IAK]
- 12/14 – Israel’s assassination of a senior Hamas commander threatens the viability of the ceasefire. [Reuters]
- 12/15 – Satellite images show that Israel has continued to demolish buildings in occupied areas of Gaza. [Al Jazeera]
- 12/19 – 5 Gazans killed in a school sheltering displaced people in al-Tuffah. [Reuters]
- 12/17 – UNRWA report: [UNRWA]
- 70,369 Gazans killed since Oct. 7th 2023
- 1,039 West Bank Palestinians killed since Oct. 7th, 2023
- 12/15 – War-damaged buildings may collapse due to heavy rain. [Reuters]
- 12/16 – Palestinian infant freezes to death in Gaza, as Israel continues to deny shelter supplies’ entry. [Al Jazeera]
- 12/20 – Since the ceasefire, Israel has killed 401 Palestinians, violating the truce 813 times. [IAK]
- The Israeli terrorism project expands with demolitions
- 12/17 – OCHA November update on the West Bank: [OCHA]
- 6,867 Palestinian injuries
- 3,139 attacks by Israeli settlers
- 40,324 displaced Palestinians
- 12/15 – Israel shot dead a 16-year-old Palestinian while raiding Tuqu’ in the occupied West Bank. [Reuters]
- 12/15 – Israel to demolish 25 residential buildings in Nur Shams, West Bank. [Al Jazeera]
- 12/17 – Israel expected to advance plans to build 9,000 new housing units in an illegal settlement in occupied East Jerusalem. [Al Jazeera]
- 12/17 – OCHA November update on the West Bank: [OCHA]
Satellite images show new demolition in areas of Gaza. [Planet Labs] [Al Jazeera]
Warnings of Caution
- Violations against the ICC, as countries continue warning of collapse in Gaza
- 12/15 – ICC rejects Israel’s legal challenge seeking to block an investigation into its genocide against Gazans. [Al Jazeera]
- 12/17 – UN and aid groups warn that humanitarian operations in Palestine risk collapse if Israel does not lift registration impediments. [Reuters]
- 12/18 – ICC says that US sanctions against two of its judges were a flagrant attack” on the court’s independence. [Reuters]
- 12/18 – Qatar PM: daily Israeli breaches of the ceasefire threaten the entire agreement. [Al Jazeera]
- 12/20 – Doctors Without Borders warns that babies and children in Gaza are dying from harsh winter weather due to the blockade. [Al Jazeera]
- 12/20 – Turkey: Israel’s constant violations are causing risks for transition to the second phase of the ceasefire. [Al Jazeera]
Doctors Without Borders urges Israel to let aid in as children are frozen to death. [Al Jazeera]
Oppressive Sanctions
- Trump’s administration continues trying to stifle any speech against Israel
- 12/17 – Senate passes bill that includes full funding for Israel’s Iron Dome and David’s Sling. [Reuters]
- 12/18 – Trump imposes two more sanctions on judges from the ICC over their involvement in the case against Israeli war crimes. [Reuters]
- 12/18 – Trump claimed the Gaza truce he helped broker brought peace to the Middle-East, as Israel continued near-daily attacks. [Al Jazeera]
- 12/19 – Marco Rubio said a new governance structure in Gaza would be made up of an international board and Palestinian technocrats, instead of primarily Palestinians. [Reuters]
Trump says that he helped bring peace to the Middle-East, as Israel continues to kill Palestinians near-daily. [Al Jazeera]